A42

M42 and A42

Bromsgrove to Kegworth

The M42 is a road of two parts, first forming part of the box of motorways surrounding Birmingham, and then striking off to the north-east as a major radial route towards Nottingham, the East Midlands and the north, turning into the A42 part-way there.

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The road that made no sense

It was the UK's only single-carriageway motorway, and twenty years ago it ceased to exist. This is the story of the strange fascination it held, and of my place in history.

The forever bottleneck, part 2

The second part of the story, where we learn why exactly the M4 gets narrower on the final approach to Europe’s biggest city.

The forever bottleneck, part 1

The M4 into London was one of the UK's earliest and most ambitious motorway projects. It was bold, pioneering... and almost instantly regretted.

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Emergency Diversion Routes

Those funny black and yellow symbols are everywhere - and they might just get you back on track one day.